The Hard Winter, also known as the Long Winter, started with a snow storm in October of 1880, and kept on snowing until March of 1881. It was one of the Midwest’s worst snow seasons, with multiple blizzards and snow accumulation of more than 11 feet in some areas. This winter season is depicted in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s novel, The Long Winter.

According to the 1912 History of Lyon County by Arthur P. Rose, there had been worse storms than any that occurred in the winter of 1880-1881. But, there never was a winter to compare with this one in duration, continued severity, depth of snow, and damage to property. Some of the worst storms had occurred in the winters of 1873, 1888, and 1909 in the early years of Lyon County’s history.

On the evening of Friday, October 15, 1880, the wind, which had been blowing from the north all day, brought with it an occasional flake of snow. When darkness came that evening, the wind and snow increased, and when morning came, a blizzard struck the region, accompanied by lightning and thunder. The streets in towns were packed with snow, and in some areas the snow was in drifts 30 feet high.

By mid-January 1881, so few trains had made it through that fuel began to get low. In the News-Messenger of Lyon County on Jan. 21, it was reported that “During the past week, Marshall has given a limited supply of fuel to the towns above the railroad line and entirely exhausted her own supply…The last cordwood…and the last small coal has been sold. There is plentiful supply of large hard coal in town, which for use in cooking or parlor stoves requires to be broken up.”

On January 20, a train had made it through from Tracy to Watertown and back. It was the last train on the line until April 18. On April 18, the railroad line opened to Tracy. On April 19, the railroad line opened to Marshall. On April 20, the railroad line opened to Minneota.

The long winter of 1880-1881 was over in April, but its results were not over. After one day of trains operating in Lyon County again, the blockade occurred again due to floods and washouts, and trains were halted until May 3. The water from melting snow overfilled the banks of the rivers and carried away bridges and railroad tracks. Six bridges on the railroad line between Sleepy Eye and Watertown were carried away and there were many places where the track was washed out. In Marshall, the bridges over the Redwood River were wrecked and several buildings were destroyed. According to Rose, the loss in Marshall was estimated at $5,000.

The photograph featured this week is a stereoscope card in the museum’s collection. The photograph was taken in Marshall during the 1880-1881 winter season.

The Lyon County Historical Society (LCHS) is a non-profit, member-supported organization. LCHS operates the Lyon County Museum at 301 W Lyon St in Marshall. The museum is open! For hours and more information, visit our website: www.lyoncomuseum.org, call: 507-537-6580, email: director@lyoncomuseum.org, or check our Facebook page.